A Kadir Jasin
PREAMBLE: Views
expressed herein are entirely mine. I am writing in my personal capacity as a
blogger. It has nothing to do with whatever position I may hold.
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| Dr Mahathir: PH has rid the country of kleptocracy |
AFTER just over nine months in power – replacing the Barisan Nasional (BN) that
had ruled the country for 61 years – the Pakatan Harapan (PH) has actually made
a pretty good progress for itself and the country.
First of all, as the Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir
Mohamad, reflected recently, Malaysia is no longer a kleptocracy.
[Anonymous
comments will not be published. Please use real or pseudonym. Thank you.]
But he also lamented that having chosen the democratic
ways, both the leaders and people must learn to accept the good and the
not-so-good aspects of democracy.
Secondly, the problems facing the people are being attended to
in a more systematic and transparent manner with a longer-term view of making "shared prosperity" the basis for sustainable wealth creation and distribution.
He and his cabinet members and coalition leaders admitted
openly that many of the expectations of the people are yet to be met and some
electoral promises may have to be modified to make them realistic and
implementable.
They acknowledged that the support of some segments of
the people has declined as was seen in the Cameron Highlands and Semenyih
by-elections in which the PH failed to wrest the former and lost the latter.
Democracy, as he put it, is a double-edged sword. It can
hurt its bearer as much as it can protect him.
The ministers and party leaders may be using the
democratic space to advance the interest of the people but to the
people it appears that they are fighting with each other.
So the Prime Minister’s advice is from now on they should think
harder before they talk, look before they leap and discuss with the cabinet and the PH
on important matters.
“What difference does it make whether they wear black or white
shoes?” he asked.
“Yes, cigarette smoking causes cancer but how do we know
whether the smokers are three metres away from the restaurants?”
And, in jest, he quipped that flying cars would not generate too many votes.
“And what is Malaysia Baru? Is it exclusively about the
election manifesto?” asked the Prime Minister.
If the promises were unrealistic and the actions taken
thereafter had caused hardship to the people and put the country at the
risk of default, the government must be willing to backtrack.
This does not mean the government will overlook corrupt
practices in the award and implementation of the Barisan Nasional (BN) era
projects and contracts.
It is for this reason that the government had
reversed its decision on the MRT and LRT projects, reconsidering the ECRL and
putting on hold plans to disband several BN era departments and programmes.
Justice for the People
The people are right in wanting justice served on the
former Prime Minister, (Datuk Seri I
Mappadulung Daeng Mattimung Karaeng Sandrobone Sultan Abdul Jalil) Mohd Najib
Abdul Razak.
They are becoming impatient with the seemingly
protracted courts cases against him and his co-conspirators.
The longer Najib is allowed the freedom to make mockery
of the law, the greater is the risk of the people seeing justice as favouring
the rich and the powerful. Or worse still he is not guilty.
The spirit of the separation of power among the Executive
(Government), the Legislative (Parliament) and the Judiciary (Judges) does not
mean that each operates in a vacuum.
Certainly they have to consider each other's interest because in the final analysis they are collectively and severally responsible and
answerable to the people.
Although the Prime Minister had said that he was
surprised at the response to Najib’s “Malu Apa Bossku” campaign, I personally
see this street-peddling stunt as nothing more than the last meal of a death
row convict.
Najib knows his time is running out and he has to make
the best use of it.
In fact with each passing day that he is allowed to make mockery
of the people, the worse it becomes for Umno and the BN.
In nine months after the last May 9 defeat, Umno has had
three presidents – Najib, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and now Mohamad Hassan in the
acting capacity.
If they can they don’t want Najib to meddle in their
affairs. His “Malu Apa Bossku” is not about enhancing Umno’s tattered image but
to promote himself among the kapcai-riding Malay youth.
Still the law must be allowed to run
its course. The PH government cannot not do to Najib what he did to his enemies
and to the institutions of the state. Najib has no qualm about perverting the laws to his advantage.
One Year Approaching
As the one-year milestone approaches, the PH will be
subjected to greater scrutiny by the people, the press and investors.
To pass this public relations and confidence test, the PH
has to improve its story-telling. It may even have to consider rearranging or
even firing some cast members.
The plot and narrative must be understood and believed by
the people and the cast must be respected. There is no role for clowns and comic characters.
Ministers, Menteris Besar and Chief Ministers must engage
in self-examination and, where necessary, self-criticism.
Don’t rush to blame the press and the people if the
flying car story flew past their heads and the government is seen as inept, arrogant
and aloof.
Moving ahead, the PH must work hard and smart to fulfill the
aspirations of the people and to prove to them that it is not a one-term
government. It is here to stay.
Wallahuaklam.





